Pay Now or Pay More Later

In the same week the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved plans to open a child-care center at Van Nuys Civic Center, local law enforcement officials released a report touting quality child care as a powerful weapon against crime.

The county faces a dire shortage of licensed child-care spaces, particularly in low-income areas such as Van Nuys. Last week’s report underscored the urgency of the child-care crisis by showing that at-risk children enrolled in quality child-care programs are much less likely to become criminals or have serious behavioral problems than similar children without any such care or in poor programs.

The county, then, will pay for the results of the day-care shortage in increased funding to the Sheriff’s Department and to jails. Or it can invest in preventive measures and provide more child-care now. A Civic Center facility that will serve both government workers and their low-income neighbors is a good start.